Honolulu Marathon
2007
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                                                       John’s Blog
  About 8 years ago I  promised not to run another marathon after having a bad run in the London. On a   freezing cold January night it was mentioned to me ( by a nice old man from Maltby !) that a group of “have   trainers will travel” were going to Honolulu to run the marathon in December. “What about that for a  retirement  present” was mentioned as I would be retiring in the summer.” It will be warm when it will be cold and damp here” was also mentioned. I thought about it for a couple of days as I would never have gone there otherwise I decided to GO. What a great Place to run I began to think
    My entry was online in February so plenty of time to train and be fit for another MAD MARATHON!.  I knew in September I was fit enough to run a good half so I wouldn’t need many more miles in my legs to to get round in the marathon ( I just couldn’t focus my mind on running long runs, 14-15 miles were OK but much further and I wasn’t interested) My plan was to run as far as I could, comfortably, and then “jog / walk “the rest.  Four weeks before I was due to fly out ( after a 1-40mins half marathon in Belgium)I got a HEAD cold  ( I think I had been GOT at by the opposition)  and daren’t run for fear it would set me back more. I’ll get round even if it takes me 5 hours ,I thought..
     All packed so off we travelled, 11hr. flight to San Francisco and then 5 hrs. more  to Honolulu ( not the best way to train before a marathon). As we arrived on the Island we were told there had been violent storms and floods for the past three weeks, and that first evening we were introduced to one of there MONSOONS.
    Registration took place on the Friday before the race and while inside the Expo. Centre more monsoons were going on outside.  Info. for runners was being given around the centre
  SHOCK one       The race starts at 5am
  SHOCK two      The buses will leave the finish area from 2am to take runners to start
SHOCK three     There is a climb around a crater about 8 miles and again at 24 miles on your way back .( that’s just where I need a hill)
SHOCK four      Get most of your miles done before 7-30 as when the sun comes up it will be 84 F 
SHOCK five       Humidity  could be 80-90%    (the only way you can train for this is to run round Van Dyke’s greenhouses for 4 hrs. on a sunny  Sunday afternoon in July)

    Day before the race we found a sports shop that sold Asic and Nike running shoes very cheap. I bought 2 pairs of Asics 2120s and a pair of Air Pegasus all for £65, a great bargain.   Our party must have come back home with 24 pairs.
    The morning of the race started at 2-30am with a downpour. Off we went to walk to start, as our hotel was only 1 ½ miles from the start but on our way another downpour ( never seen 200 runners taking shelter under one palm tree before).  Japanese runners everywhere The streets got flooded while 28,000 runners waited on the start line (another monsoon just before the start).  A  fantastic fireworks display as the start gun went off.( I think they waited between the rain to set them off).  At 2miles another monsoon, I could feel my shoes getting tighter with being wet through.  I remembered what I was warned about a hill at 8 miles, but to be honest people who live round hear wouldn’t notice it at all ( What was all the hype about the hill for I thought)  on we went to the 11 mile marker with drink stations every two miles. ( take as much fluid in as possible was the advice) Onto a “Freeway” we went , running on the left side but on the right of us , cones dividing the freeway, as the runners up in front where coming down the other side.  Opposite the 12 mile marker was the 21 marker for the oncoming runners,  we had to run 5miles down the freeway ,turn round and then run 6 miles back (what a bore). At thirteen miles my plan started early as I was feeling “Tired, Wet through My stomach was aching with drinking “iced water ”at the feed stations and my feet were on fire with wet socks!!  ( what more does a man need just to step through the cones and take a short cut of about 5 miles) just as I was “cooking up a plan” Tony R caught up with me , so Plan B.  We jogged and walked a few more miles and the Ken C met up with us. We stuck together as we were all of the same opinion ********  it , we decided to run half a mile then trot half a mile until the home straight.
     At 24 miles I thought I had wasted £65 the previous day on more running shoes. The last straight seamed as long as the freeway.  Over the line in under 5 hrs. to another monsoon. The finish area was ankle deep in mud as we collected our “shell necklace, medal, and Tshirt”.   Thanks to Tony and Ken for keeping me company over the last boring miles and for laughing and joking through all the  monsoons en route.
       In short a very Fantastic and Memorable Mind Blowing experience
A bit of advice for local runners, “Don’t bother travelling 8,000 miles and 16 hours in a plane to run 11miles on a treeway.” There’s talk of running The Dublin Marathon next year but I hope I am strong enough not to be bullied into entering.